Vallée de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc panorama—Louis Koller 1961 old vintage map chart

£400

SKU

Vallée de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. France [Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Valley, France]


Louis Koller’s expansive bird’s-eye panorama maps the Chamonix valley and Mont Blanc massif from an elevated viewpoint at the north end of the valley, looking south. Settlements, roads and railway on the valley floor are set against a carefully distorted mountain landscape that brings the great peaks, glaciers, cableways and walking routes into a single comprehensible view. Mont Blanc, the Aiguille du Midi, Grandes Jorasses, Dent du Géant, Aiguille Verte, Mer de Glace and the glaciers of Argentière, Bossons and Taconnaz are individually named, while Chamonix, Les Praz, Argentière, Le Tour and Vallorcine form the spine of the map. Signed and dated “L. Koller 61”, the design is recorded elsewhere as having been printed at Grenoble by Imprimerie générale in 1965. Koller’s controlled distortion is the key: rather than literal perspective, it gives equal visibility to tourist infrastructure and high-Alpine topography. The result is both a practical record of Chamonix at the height of post-war tourist expansion and a striking piece of mid-century pictorial cartography.

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Size 63 x 78 cm | 25.0 x 30.5 inches

Date Published: 1961 [dated]

Type: Colour offset-printed panoramic pictorial tourist map/poster

Author: Koller, Louis

Louis Koller (1904–1978), Swiss artist and pictorial cartographer

Publication: Koller's Vallée de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Louis Koller. Vallée de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. France. Grenoble: Imprimerie générale

Condition: Fair-to-Good |

Fair-to-Good: Short marginal tears and creasing along extreme upper and lower edges which have been strengthened verso; scattered spotting. Please note any other blemishes on the scan prior to purchasing this picture. Please contact us if you would like to arrange to view this map. There is nothing printed on the reverse side, which is plain

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We assess the condition of each item using three categories: Good, Fair, and Poor. We strive to ensure that any significant flaws are clearly shown in the images provided and detailed in the accompanying condition statement.

Good

The item presents well, with no significant flaws, and is in frameable condition. Minor imperfections—such as light spotting or offsetting, small blemishes, tight margins, neatly repaired tears, or discreet/professionally executed restoration—do not materially detract from its overall appearance.

Fair

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Poor

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